I was playing a video game the other day that I knew was fairly niche. However, when I hopped onto YouTube to try and listen to the game’s soundtrack and found almost nothing available? That’s when I knew I’d been playing a truly easily-missed and mostly-unknown game. And, upon further reflection, I realized that I’ve probably played a ton of video games in my life where it seems as if no one else knows that game even exists.
In honor of this phenomenon (that I’m sure almost anyone who loves video games has experienced before), let’s look at 10 of these types of games that stand out to me the most. Also, just to be clear, I don’t mean that literally no one has heard of these games, just that they tend to be extremely forgotten and unknown games, broadly-speaking.
Let’s begin!
10) Ara Fell
In the vast realm of video games, there honestly might not be a genre more filled with forgotten and easily-missed games than RPGs, and especially JRPGs. In the grand scheme of things, Ara Fell is just another JRPG to add to the pile. I’ve never actually completed this game, though I haven’t forgotten it either. It’s cute, it’s charming, it has a nice visual style, and the soundtrack was pretty good (and completely absent on YouTube). I also recall there being a surprising amount of freedom in how you explore the overworld.
9) Starwhal
Have you ever wanted to flop around as a narwhal while trying to stab your fellow narwhal competitors in their big glowing hearts with your sharp horn? If you have, then this is the game for you! If you haven’t, then you should probably look for your gaming entertainment elsewhere! Starwhal is one of those multiplayer games that you put on for about thirty minutes, have an absolute blast, and then turn off and play something else. It’s the dictionary definition of ‘what you see is what you get‘. It’s pretty shallow, but those thirty minutes are a ton of fun!
8) Arc Rise Fantasia
Another JRPG entry for our list, though one that has a bit more of a personal connection for me. I’ve been a huge fan of the Nintendo Power magazine (RIP) my entire life, and one particular issue was all about JRPGs. One of the main articles in the issue was about Arc Rise Fantasia, and it just looked so cool and fun. Lo and behold, years later I find a copy of the game for sale at my local used game store. You bet I purchased it without hesitation! It…isn’t great, though to be fair I only played a few hours. It has some very terrible voice acting that make it hard to get invested in the plot. But by golly, it’ll always be a memorable game to me, even if for reasons not related to the actual gameplay!
7) Super Cloudbuilt
While some games are grand, huge adventures with massive scope, sometimes all you really need to get by is an enjoyable core gameplay loop and an attractive art style. That’s not to say that Super Cloudbuilt doesn’t have a lot going for it, but at its very core the game revolves around fast-paced parkour platforming and blasting little robot guys with your peashooter. It’s one of those games where you’re intended to replay levels multiple times, moving faster and improving your time trial scores each time. Not usually my cup of tea, but I enjoyed my time with this game. I also loved the weirdly solitary/lonely feeling of this post-apocalypse world.
6) Screencheat
Party games tend to be a dime-a-dozen, but it’s a shame when one with such a unique and amazing central hook ends up falling through the cracks. Screencheat was, to be fair, a decent hit when it released, but at this point I can’t recall the last time I heard anyone talk about this game or post a gameplay video of it on YouTube (or some other streaming platform). It’s a competitive FPS game, but the twist is that you can’t see the other players through your corner of the screen, forcing you to peek at the other players’ corners to see where they are. It’s such a funny and unique twist on a classic cliche of multiplayer with friends, and this game had tons of goofy weapons and fun maps.
5) Star Wars: The Clone Wars
No, this has absolutely no relation to Star Wars: The Clone Wars, the absolutely phenomenal animated television show. This game came out years before that show, though it does take place within the same time period in the Star Wars universe. It actually released in an era filled with Star Wars games, many of which have fallen through the cracks of public perception in recent years. I played the heck out of this strange game, though. It’s 90% vehicle combat, 10% ground-based Jedi combat, and all sorts of weird. It’s like it wasn’t sure if it wanted to be a Shooter or an RTS. It’s also filled with never-before seen (and never-seen-since) vehicle designs and story concepts.
4) Kao the Kangaroo
So, there are a few people that know what this game is, or rather, this series. It has its roots on the Dreamcast from back in 2000, after all. But I’m specifically talking about the recent-ish reboot that launched on PlayStation 4 and a few other modern consoles. I’m not going to try and make any arguments about it being a hidden gem, because it’s a pretty flawed experience filled with bugs, glitches, questionable voice acting, and more. At the same time, it’s fun to play, the levels are fairly creative, and the soundtrack is indeed underrated and quite good. If you’re alright with average-but-fun platformers, you can do a lot worse than this game.
3) Wii Party
In my mind, I think of the games that have ‘Wii‘ in the title and just presume that everyone knows what they are (like Wii Sports, Wii Sports Resort, Wii Play, etc.). And I won’t try to say that Wii Party is just universally forgotten or anything, but it’s definitely the least talked about game amongst those I mentioned. It’s just a knock-off Mario Party, but I remember ads and gaming magazine articles for this game really making me want to buy it. Once I finally secured a copy, I forced basically all of my friends and family to play it with me. It’s a ton of fun! Is it good? Uh…not really. But it’s a ton of fun, even if I have a depressing reputation of constantly losing at the last second each time. Lot of good memories with this one!
2) Stella Glow
This game is, admittedly, one of the more well-known games to show up on this list, and I’ve even talked about it on this blog once more. But, that status is also exclusively within the audience of JRPG lovers who also had a 3DS. Which, if we’re really trying to tally numbers here, is still a very small percentage of people.
That being said, it’s not a surprise that those who do know about Stella Glow often praise it. It’s an extremely solid JRPG that more people should take it upon themselves to experience someday. Solid tactically grid-based gameplay, entertaining characters, a fun gameplay loop, and an excellent soundtrack. That last point is especially pertinent, as the entire game is really connected with the concepts of music and singing, and the game has a ton of fully-original vocal tracks. It’s maybe a bit too difficult for my tastes (the aforementioned ‘I talked about this game on this blog once‘ was in reference to a really hard boss), but that flaw aside it’s a stellar game.
1) Dark Deity 2
I’m actively playing this game right now, and the level of how good it is compared to the traction it has online (essentially nonexistent) served as the big impetus for me wanting to write this article. This is one of those fantastic games that almost makes you sad to realize that seemingly no one else even knows that it exists.
Yes, let’s be clear, Dark Deity 2 is just Fire Emblem at its very core. Medieval setting, multiple different factions on the brink of war, heavy anime inspiration, grid-based combat, building up support points and bond conversations between unique and engaging characters…the list goes on. There’s not a whole lot that this game does that has never been done before (except for unique map challenges that you can optionally go for for extra goodies, which is a fun idea).
However, maybe this is a controversial opinion, but if the game is fun, does it have to completely reinvent the wheel? I honestly don’t think so, and Dark Deity 2 is a whole lot of fun even if it isn’t the most original experience around. I’ve been having a blast playing this game so far, and I’d highly recommend it. The entire game is fully voice acted too with basically every heavy-hitter in the industry, though its hard to outshine our main protagonist, Gwyn, voiced by the inimitable Elizabeth Maxwell.
But hey, that’s just my opinion!
The Contrarian Corner 